lcionline Chapter 293: Treat others with their own medicine.
Chapter 293: Treat others with their own medicine.
In the palace.
The events that took place in court today have already spread throughout the capital, and the nobles in the palace will receive even more information than those outside the palace.
The emperor listened as Li Dehai recounted in detail what had happened in court that day, including the blood-written letter and the fact that Chu Wanqing had been poisoned with the "One Line Red" poison. Li Dehai had found out all these minor details.
“Your Majesty, General Chu and Madam Chu are probably on their way to see you.” Li Dehai added in a low voice, “The Duke of Wen holds a title, and it’s not a low one, so the Court of Judicial Review doesn’t dare to close the case easily.”
Upon hearing this, the emperor sneered: "So now you know to let me make the decisions?"
Even so, he still turned to the Empress and asked, "In your opinion, how should we deal with the Duke of Wen?"
The Empress, sitting beside the Emperor, paused as she poured him tea, and asked, "Your Majesty, does the Duke of Wen mean more to you than the law? More to you than the Chu family?"
"Of course not." The emperor shook his head. "The Duke of Wen is nothing but a good-for-nothing. He was somewhat capable when he was young, but the older he gets, the bigger his temper becomes, and the less capable he is."
Hearing the emperor's reply, the empress smiled gently: "If that's the case, then what is Your Majesty worried about?"
“Legally, the evidence of the crimes committed by Duke Wen is conclusive. As for the sentiment... you and General Chu have been friends for many years. From any perspective, you should deal with Duke Wen in accordance with the law.”
"Unless... you intend to impose severe punishment on the Duke of Wen."
Upon hearing this, the emperor snorted coldly.
"According to the law, the Duke of Wen and his wife should be beheaded and their heads displayed to the public."
"Isn't this a severe punishment?"
The Empress also snorted coldly: "In my opinion, an eye for an eye is the most severe punishment."
Upon hearing this, the emperor was stunned: "You mean..."
"I am acquainted with Wanqing." The Empress's gentle face turned completely cold. "I have also heard of the poison 'One Line Red.' Those poisoned will suffer unbearable pain for seven consecutive days before finally dying peacefully."
"If that's the case, why not use the 'One Line Red' technique on those two?"
"Only in this way can it be considered... an eye for an eye."
The emperor looked at the empress in surprise, but the empress remained calm and composed: "Your Majesty, Wanqing and I are good friends. She was poisoned by that despicable couple. I didn't know the truth before, but now that I know the truth, I must avenge her."
A silent atmosphere gradually spread throughout the Taiji Hall.
After a moment, the emperor said helplessly, "Is that really what you think? It's not Jing Han..."
“Jing Han and Shu Yao have never mentioned this to me,” the Empress said solemnly. “Your Majesty, you cannot judge others by your own standards.”
Upon hearing this, the emperor waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, if that's how it is, then let's do as you say."
"However..." the Empress added, "The most hurt by Wanqing's murder are General Chu and his wife. You might as well ask them for their opinion."
"That's true." The emperor nodded.
Just then, Li Dehai rushed over to report.
"Your Majesty! Your Highness! General Chu and Madam Chu request an audience."
"Xuan."
Once the emperor had made up his mind, he did not hesitate at all.
General Chu and his wife rushed in, and upon seeing the Emperor and Empress, they immediately knelt heavily on the ground with a thud.
"Please rise, sir!"
The emperor and empress stood up simultaneously and helped the two of them up.
Although the emperor liked to weigh the pros and cons before acting, he still respected General Chu and Madam Chu, who had sacrificed themselves for the country, to the utmost. He could not bear to see the two of them bowing deeply to him.
After being helped up, Old Madam Chu and General Chu exchanged a glance, both feeling much more relaxed.
The emperor's attitude was enough to prove that they still held some weight in his heart.
"I know everything that happened in court today," the Emperor said, looking at the two men. "The Duke of Wen and his wife have committed numerous heinous crimes, which are outrageous. According to the law, they should be executed. I wonder if you two are satisfied with this outcome?"
The two looked at each other and shook their heads.
The emperor was on tenterhooks. Wen Shuyao was still a member of the Wen family after all. Logically speaking, the couple wouldn't be so heartless to other members of the Wen family. What else did they want to do?
As he was pondering this, he heard Old Madam Chu say in a deep voice, "We specifically asked Director Zhou about the poison Yixianhong. We learned that after taking Yixianhong, a person's internal organs feel as if they are being gnawed by thousands of ants, causing both itching and pain."
"This kind of suffering will last for seven days. On the seventh day, the poisoned person will die peacefully as if nothing had happened."
"We don't want anything, we just want them to take the first line of red medicine."
Old Madam Chu's eyes were extremely sharp. She hated Duke Wen and Madam Wen to the core and vowed to make them experience all the pain that Chu Wanqing had suffered back then.
The emperor was somewhat surprised upon hearing this.
He hadn't expected that the Empress would have the same idea as the two of them.
The emperor's delayed response was interpreted by the old lady and her husband as a sign of their disapproval of the proposal.
General Chu frowned, cupped his hands and said, “Your Majesty, I had a daughter late in life. Wanqing was the apple of my eye. After her death, my wife and I were heartbroken, but we still kept in mind the mission of the Chu family and never left the border.”
"If it weren't for my advanced age and frail health, which forced me to return to the capital for recuperation, we would probably still be guarding the border."
"We hope that you will grant us this request, considering that we have done our part for the Great Li. Beheading them would be too lenient!"
"I didn't mean to refuse," the emperor said, waving his hand. "I was just wondering how you and the empress could think the same way."
"Since you all think this is feasible, then I will have the Imperial Hospital find some 'Yi Xian Hong' (a type of herbal medicine) and feed it to them."
The emperor readily agreed. He was not a person who hated evil, but the actions of the Duke of Wen and his wife were truly disgusting.
Moreover... by doing this, he can also dampen the arrogance of a group of established aristocratic families, represented by the Duke of Wen.
With this in mind, the emperor gave the order.
Below, both Old Madam Chu and General Chu wore smiles of satisfaction.
They said they wanted Duke Wen and Lady Wen to pay for their crimes in blood, meaning they wanted the two of them to experience the same pain that Chu Wanqing suffered from poisoning back then.
A single red line... such a torturous poison. She would rather Chu Wanqing be poisoned by arsenic, at least arsenic wouldn't be so torturous.
Thinking of this, Old Madam Chu burst into tears: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"This is all I should do," the emperor waved his hand. "I am also making up for my mistakes back then. If I had listened to you two back then and persisted in investigating..."